1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to carrying devices, such as harnesses or straps, designed to attach to or be integrated with containers, backpacks, luggage, bags (e.g., golf bags, mail bags, etc.), and basically any and all cartable items of various sorts, that allow the user to carry and support the cartable item over one or more shoulders using the carrying device. Particularly, the present invention relates to a unique carrying device and system designed to allow a user to initially carry and support a cartable item on a single shoulder, with the added ability to quickly and effortlessly transition the carrying device so that dual-shoulder carrying support of the cartable item is achieved. The present invention also relates to a method of transitioning the carrying device from a single-shoulder carrying support position to a dual-shoulder carrying support position.
2. Background of the Invention and Related Art
Carrying devices, such as harnesses or straps, are commonly found and utilized in everyday situations to support the carrying of cartable items, such as backpacks, golf bags, mail bags, luggage, and a host of others via the shoulder(s) of a user. Many of these prior art carrying items are designed to engage one or more shoulders of the user without offering the choice of one or the other. Moreover, many of these prior art carrying devices are made of soft, flexible materials that tend to cause unnecessary strain and tension on the user.
In particular, such carrying devices are commonly found in the golfing arena. The game of golf is one of the most widely enjoyed sports activities in the world and has strong support at both the recreational level as well as the professional level. While golf has always been an enjoyable game for both novices and professionals, the popularity of the game has exploded in recent years. Record numbers are flocking to beautiful courses worldwide to try their hand at the seemingly arduous task of putting a little white ball in a four inch hole located hundreds of yards away in as few shots as possible. Along with the exploding popularity and record numbers of players, golf equipment has also seen changes. Particularly, as the game of golf requires several different clubs, balls, tees, and other accessories to even play the game, a golf bag has become an indispensable part of any golfer's inventory.
During play, golfers typically travel over a course in one of several ways. For example, a golfer may walk a course and carry his/her clubs, or sometimes employ a caddy to carry the clubs for him/her. Other golfers utilize wheeled pull carts, or motorized or engine driven carts where the golf clubs in a golf bag are mounted to the cart, typically near the rear. Of particular interest herein is those persons who walk a golf course and carry a set of clubs. The present invention is thus useful for a substantial number of golfers who desire walking a golf course as a means of healthy, enjoyable exercise.
One of the drawbacks which has long existed for these golfers is the nature of the construction of the standard golf bag. Traditionally, golf bags have been designed and manufactured having very simple carrying systems with the only thought to provide means by which the golfer could carry the golf bag, which housed both clubs and balls. Here, the typical golf bag used to receive the set of clubs was in the form of a tubular carrying member enclosed at one end so that the shafts of the clubs could be longitudinally received in the bag. Moreover, the traditional carrying systems or devices employed to carry these golf bags consist of a single strap that extends from an upper rim of the golf bag to a mid-point on the bag. The strap is preferably loose and made of flexible material, wherein the golfer or the caddy is able to carry the golf bag by inserting one arm through the strap so that the strap extends across one shoulder, thus supporting the bag for travel. The golf bag resultantly hangs down in a natural resting position depending upon the location and slack in the strap. Although simple in design, this single-strap design has endured through the years and is still very popular today, especially on lower priced golf bags.
Although popular, several disadvantages and deficiencies are present in this design that are readily recognized by those individuals who carry such golf bags over a golf course. One such problem results from the fact that the entire weight of the golf clubs and bag, which may typically be on the order of twenty to thirty pounds, tires the shoulder of the user, especially when several rounds are being played. Such fatigue, due to the weighty nature of the golf bag, potentiates strain of the muscles of the neck, shoulders, and back, which is further perpetuated by the often imbalanced nature of the golf bag relative to the user. For instance, the weight, imbalance, and single strap design can cause associated muscle soreness in the hips and lower back due to the fact that the center of gravity of the bag is offset with respect to the spine of the user. This is of particular concern to those golfers who experience back problems. Another problem associated with the single strap design is the annoying swing or rocking of the golf bag that repeatedly pounds the user over and over as he/she walks from hole to hole. This constant swinging or rocking motion is derived from and is in tune with the natural walking frequency of the user and is difficult to stabilize.
In recent years, these early pioneer bags have been greatly improved upon in an effort to correct these apparent deficiencies, as well as to appeal to the larger, more diverse golfing populous. Some of these designs are briefly described herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 362,752 to Steurer teaches the design for an H-shaped dual strap for a golf bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 387,556 to Beebe et al. teaches the design for a golf bag with dual shoulder straps.
U.S. Pat. No. 348,567 to Dunn teaches the design for a golf bag with a single strap.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,343 to Shin describes a monolithic yolk type collar that provides four adjustable straps for two or four point attachment to a golf bag. The collar is adapted to enable transverse mounting of the golf bag on the back of the golfer. The collar has a broad surface with compliant material for comfort and is adapted to take the necessary shape to fit a given golfer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,077 to Izzo provides a shoulder strap assembly for a golf bag. A first shoulder strap extends longitudinally between spaced locations on the outer surface of the bag and a second shoulder strap has opposite connecting ends which are connected in close proximity to one another to the bag adjacent to one of the spaced locations to which the first shoulder strap member is connected and in such a way that the second shoulder strap will extend away from the bag in a generally loop-shaped configuration whereby the bag may be suspended by one or both shoulder straps from one or both shoulders of the golfer or caddy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,259 to Izzo describes a golf bag with a dual carrying strap assembly. In one embodiment, the strap assembly includes a first strap which is attached to the golf bag and interfaces with the golf bag at first and second longitudinally displaced locations. The strap assembly also includes a separate second strap which is also attached to the golf bag and which one end thereof interfaces with the golf bag at the second location and which its other end either interfaces with the golf bag at this same second location or at an intermediate location such as at the carrying handle of the golf bag. Nonetheless, the two separate straps form two loops such that the golf bag may be supported on both of the golfer's shoulders.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,703 to Izzo describes a dual shoulder strap assembly for a golf bag having first and second strap members connected in end-to-end relation to one another along one side of the golf bag, a handle grip interconnecting adjoining ends of the strap members, and circumferential loops serve to connect opposite extreme ends of the first and second strap members to the golf bag in such a way as to maintain the bag in centered relation against the back of the carrier when the straps are passed over the shoulders. The upper and lower extreme ends of the strap members are self-adjusting circumferentially, and the adjoining ends between the strap members are interconnected in such a way as to maintain the strap members in an elevated position so that the bag can be easily lifted off the ground and more easily placed on the shoulders of the carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,984 to Izzo provides a golf bag that has a support strap assembly that allows carriage by a person. The strap assembly includes a first strap having one strap end secured to the golf bag at a first location at its upper, open end, and the other strap end is secured to the golf bag at a second location longitudinally spaced from the first location. A second strap has one end secured to the golf bag at the second location, and the other strap end is secured to the golf bag at a third location longitudinally spaced from the second location between the second location and the closed end of the golf bag. The ends secured at the second location are preferably attached to one another to form a central portion for the strap assembly. The two straps thus allow the golf bag to be carried on both shoulders and oriented transversely across the back. Various mounts are described for these two straps, and different adjustment and padding structures are disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,704 Izzo describes a golf bag carrying system, in the form of a dual strap carrier, including a first and second strap secured to the golf bag to define arm and shoulder openings. The straps have shoulder pads and one of which may be covered with a relatively slick material. The first strap second end and the second strap first end are attached to a mid-portion of the bag at a central location. The other ends of the first and second straps are secured to the golf bag longitudinally on opposite sides of the central location. The straps include a first and second resilient strap elements at the central location, and the resilient elements terminate at a location spaced from the shoulder pads. These resilient strap elements position thus the straps for easy access. The first, second and third mounts for securing the straps to the bag are selectively adjustable longitudinally along the bag to balance the bag and to adjust for shoulder width. Also, the pads may be laterally arcuate to facilitate wear. Furthermore, a concavity shaped structure may be formed in the bag to conform to the golfer's back.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,778 to Jones et al. describes a double strap system for golf bags including a first shoulder strap having upper and lower ends attached to a generally tubular body of a golf bag at first and second locations, respectively. In one embodiment of the double strap system, the lower end of the first shoulder strap is connected to a buckle and slide mechanism which is provided for relocating the second location in a direction that is generally parallel to a length dimension of the golf bag body. A second shoulder strap has opposite ends attached to the golf bag body at third and fourth locations that are spaced apart in another direction. In an alternative embodiment of the double strap system, the lower end of the first shoulder strap may be connected to either one of a pair of attachment devices mounted on the golf bag body to thereby relocate the second location.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,205 to Steurer describes a golf bag in the form of a tubular receptacle with a handle thereon having a dual-loop two-point shoulder strap for engaging both shoulders of an individual carrying the golf bag. The shoulder strap, in one embodiment has a single elongated belt with mutually opposed belt ends. One belt end and a first portion of the belt between the belt ends is connected to a first point on a golf bad and defines a first loop through which an individual inserts one arm to support the golf bag at least partially on one shoulder. The other belt end and a second portion of the belt between the belt ends is connected to a second point on the golf bag and defines a second loop through which an individual inserts another arm to support the golf bag at least partially on another shoulder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,347 to Zegar comprises a golf bag and a carrying device. It includes an elongated rigid bar which is attachable to a conventional single strap golf bag. The bar includes perforations. In one embodiment, the two shoulder straps are designed to be adjustable and include provision for quick attachment to and detachment from the elongated rigid bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,473 to Lamar describes a golf bag to be carried by a user for retaining golf clubs having an elongated tubular container, a shoulder strap system for carrying the container on the user's shoulder and a waist band system for fastening the container to the user's waist to support the weight of the container with the user's lower body. The waist band system including a waist band for fastening around the user's waist and a lumbar pad for providing cushioning to the user's lower back. The golf bag allows the user to transfer the weight of the bag from the shoulders to the lower back to ameliorate fatigue and soreness to the shoulders and to improve the golfer's posture and golf ability.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,853,111 to Williams teaches a golf bag with a pair of circumferential, spaced apart straps for carrying the bag across the back. The straps are fully separated and independent.
Although vast improvements over traditional single-strap designs, several deficiencies are also apparent and exist in these prior art designs. Specifically, Shin teaches a strap enabling transverse mounting of a golf bag. Dunn teaches a single longitudinally oriented shoulder strap. Zegar and Williams each teach the use of separate and independent shoulder straps extending circumferentially from the side of a golf bag. Izzo teaches a single strap configured into a double shoulder loop assembly with three point connection to the golf bag. Lamar, Jones et al, Steurer '205 and Beebe et al each teach dual independent shoulder straps arranged in various ways on the golf bag. Steurer '752 teaches a harness having two separate halves interconnected by a joining strap and a four point connection to the golf bag. These prior art designs either limit the user to a single carrying shoulder, or require the user to undertake significant effort to utilize the dual-shoulder design.
Accordingly, what is needed is a golf bag carrying device that allows a user to support a golf bag on a single shoulder or on both shoulders, with simple, efficient transitioning or conversion between these carrying arrangements.